Enhancing Quality of Service in Cloud Gaming System: An Active Implementation Framework for Enhancing Quality of Service in Multi-Player Cloud Gaming

Introduction

Computer gaming plays a major role in internet, since all type of users (adults, children, teenagers, etc.) play games online for relaxation, fun and entertainment. In recent years, computer program i.e. a adaption of non-computer game is called traditional game. But traditional games do not contain any modern technologies, hence people does not get attracted more. To overcome this cloud gaming was introduced. Cloud gaming as the name indicates, it allows many users to play game online without any problem. It sometimes called as “gaming on demand”. Cloud gaming differs from traditional online gaming as it (cloud gaming) provides better network load and less traffic problems when compared with traditional gaming. Cloud gaming is classified into two types they are,

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  Cloud gaming on VIDEO streaming, and

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  Cloud gaming on FILE streaming.

Cloud gaming on video streaming provides less friction and it also allows direct play ability to users on various devices. As discussed earlier, cloud gaming provides video streaming on users’ computers based on demand. The original game is actually stored, executed and implemented on remote server or on that company server, the operations that is performed on cloud is not displayed or known to users only the output of that requested video is displayed on the user’s computer with the help of internet. This cloud gaming can be accessed on consoles, computer and also on mobile devices. The controls or the actions performed by user are directed to the server from where the input controls are sent.

Cloud gaming on file streaming will reduce the internet bandwidth level by downloading the small part of the game initially, which will be less than 5% of the total game size. Later the remaining game will be downloaded in the user’s device. This will require very less internet bandwidth. Hence it is also called as progressive downloading. This usually deploys a thin client in end user’s device. Since it is deployed in cloud it reduces a scalability problem. This type of streaming will have a cache copy of the downloaded game. To operate the file streaming game, the device should have the hardware capabilities.

Design Objectives

The design objectives of cloud gaming include:

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  Extensibility: Cloud gaming is a modularized design. Platform independent components such as audio and video capturing and platform independent components such as codes and protocols can be easily modified. To develop the capabilities, the developers should follow the programming interfaces of modules. It is not only limited to audio and video capturing, but a live casting is also done using this cloud gaming architecture.

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  Portability: Since many users uses cloud gaming in wireless network, the gaming should design in such a way that it is easily adaptable in any platform. Platform dependent components can be easily replaced by new platforms. Gaming is played in windows, Linux operating systems, with the help of this portability the gaming can also be played in mobile devices.

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  Configurability: To make a system into a customized usage scenario it is possible to try some combination of parameters that simply edit a text based file that makes the file customized. The configuration of the system should be easy to use by the users. A wide range of audio and video codecs should be supported.

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  Openness: It is a free website. So any user can use the gaming service from anywhere. One criterion the user (researcher and developers) should follow is that the license terms provided for that game in their source packages (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

Framework for a cloud gaming platform

Players will send the commands to the users in the form of thin client through internet. The commands will then be converted into game actions where the world of game changes. The changes are then processed by graphical processing unit in the cloud’s system. The scene that is rendered is sent to the video encoder module which encodes the video. The encoded video is sent back to the video streaming module, that module will send the encoded rendered video back to the thin client. The decoding of the sent video is done by thin client and it will display the decoded video in the player’s system (Table 1).

Table 1.

System requirements with its descriptions

System Requirements	Descriptions
Operating systems	Linux, MAC, Android, Chrome OS etc
Hardware and upgradation	Existing hardware can be used. So its not expensive
Spectation	Spectating will be easy
Playing	Cloud gaming allows you to play instantly.
Piracy rate	The piracy rate for cloud gaming will be low